JESSICA MUTCHNICK
ARCH - 102
PROFESSOR CAROL HERMANN
SPRING 2023
PROJECT 01: VISIONARY DESIGNER
PROJECT 02: TECTONIC MAQUETTE
PROJECT 1: FORM, SPACE + ORDER: ANALYTICAL INVESTIGATIONS
PROJECT 2: CONCEPT AND COLOR: MATERIAL AND THEORY, PHENOMENON, ORGANIZATION + SPACE
PROJECT 3: PRECEDENT + INVENTION, STRUCTURE + SITE: USING RESEARCH TO CREATE A PLACE
IN MY INVESTIGATION OF PAUL REVERE WILLIAMS, I WAS ABLE TO SEE HOW HE DEFINED HIS SUCESS AGAINST ALL ODDS DESPITE THOSE WHO SAW HIS RACE OVER HIS SKILLS AND TALENT. HE FOUND TACTICS TO WORK WITH HIS CLIENTS TO MAKE THEM COMFORTABLE AROUND HIM. HE DEFINED CALIFORNIA’S ARCHITECTURE AND EVEN IN A WORLD OF SEGRAGATION BECAME THE ARCHITECT TO THE STARS. LEARNING ABOUT THIS MAN WAS VERY INFLUENTIAL AND INSPIRING.
THE GOALS OF THIS PROJECT OVER SEVERAL WEEKS:
TO UNDERSTAND SCALE, JOINERY, TAKING IDEAS TO PHYSICAL FORM, AND THE PROCESS OF IDEA TRANSLATION OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. THIS MINI PROJECT WAS TO ASSIST WITH BUILDING SKILLS IN THE FOLLOWING PROJECTS.
EACH WEEK THE TASK WAS TO BUILD UPON THE PREVIOUS WEEK ADDING MORE EXTERIOR WALLS WITH WINDOWS AND DOORS, AND ADDING THE APPROPRIATE TASKS: THE STAIRS; THE SITE TO ALLOW A PASSAGE FROM THE FIRST FLOOR ENTRANCE
TO THE SECOND FLOOR ENTRANCE; AND FINALLY ADDING THE ROOF AND VEGETATION SURROUNDING THE SITE.
THE BEGINNING OF THE FIRST MAJOR PROJECT THAT WOULD INFLUENCE THE REST OF THE SEMESTER IS THE CASE STUDY HOUSE. THE HOUSE MY PARTNER AND I CHOOSE THE RURAL HOUSE DESIGNED BY RCR ARQUITECTES LOCATED IN LA GARROTXA, SPAIN. THE BUILDING WAS BUILT FOR MICHELIN STAR CHEF FINA PUIGDEVALL WHO WAS INSPIRED BY NATURE AND LANDSCAPE. FROM THIS CASE STUDY, THE VALUES OF RESPECTING AND PRESERVING THE SITE’S NATURAL BEAUTY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR AND TO KEEP A TIMELESS FEEL TO THE LAND. THE EMPASIS WAS ON HOW NATURE SHAPES DESIGN AND THE EXPERIENCE WITHIN THE HOUSE.
PHOTOGRAPH OF RURAL HOUSE AND RURAL HOUSE STUDY MODEL
FROM LOOKING AT THE PLANS AND ELEVATIONS, THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE RURAL HOUSE BEGAN. THE HOUSE WAS EMBEDDED WITHIN THE GROUND AT DIFFERENT LEVELS AT EACH OF THE MODULES. THE MODULES WERE ALIGNED ON ONE HORIZONTAL PATH IN WHICH THE HALLWAY CONNECTED ONE SIDE TO ANOTHER. THE HALLWAY HAS SOME INCLINES WHICH INDICATED THE GROUND IT LAYS UPON IS NOT COMPLETELY FLAT. THE DOORWAYS TO EACH MODULE SLIGHTLY DIFFER WHICH WAS FOUND WHEN LOOKING AT THE PLANS. THE HOUSE HAS LARGE SPACIOUS WINDOWS WHICH ALLOWS MUCH OF NATURAL LIGHT IN.
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
CHIAROSCURO -
THE DRAMATIC EFFECT OF LIGHT VERSUS DARK IS SHOWN THROUGH HOW LIGHT INFLUENCES THE SPACE AND HOW LIGHT SEEPS THROUGH THE EXTERIOR MATERIAL AND THROUGH THE GLASS WINDOWS TO ENLIGHTEN THE SPACE FROM DARKNESS
CONNECTIVE -
HOW THE NATURE AND LANDSCAPE IS RESPECTED AND VALUED TO BE PRESERVED AND HOW THE BUILDING HAS A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE HOUSE
REFLECTIVE -
HOW THE HOUSE REFLECTS THE MATERIALS THAT WEATHER WITH THE ENVIROMENT SO IT FEELS TIMELESS AND AGES WITH TIME
THIS 2D CONCEPT EXPLORES HOW MUCH LIGHT PASSES THROUGH THE DIFFERENT SPACES WITH DIFFERENT THICKNESS. THE CONCEPT IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE MISSALIGNED DOORS AND PASSAGES LIKE THE HALLWAY OF THE HOUSE.
THIS 2 POINT PERSPECTIVE IS RENDERED TO EXPLORE THE SITE AND HOW THE SITE AND ENVIRONMENT INTERACTS AROUND THE RURAL HOUSE.
THIS MODEL IS LIKE A LIGHT BOX WHICH EXPLORES THE CONCEPTS OF THE 3 WORDS, SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO THE WORD CHIAROSCURO. THE MODEL DISPLAYS HOW LIGHT CAN BE EXPERIENCED IN DIFFERENT WAYS DEPENDING ON HOW THE LIGHT IS USED.
ONE WAY IS WHEN LIGHT CREATES SHADOWS BY PASSING THROUGH THE BOX AND ALL THE DIFFERENT MODULE PIECES. THE SECOND WAY IS WHEN LIGHT PASSES INSIDE THE BOX, BUT HOW THE PERSON EXPERIENCES THE LIGHT LOOKING WITHIN THE BOX TO SEE HOW THE LIGHT CREATES SHADOWS WHICH ENLONGATE WITHIN THE BOX.
EACH WAY THE VIEWER CAN EXPERIENCE LIGHT IN DIFFERENT WAYS DEPENDING WHERE AND HOW THEY DECIDE TO SHINE THE LIGHT AND HOW THEY DECIDE TO HOLD THE MODEL WILL ALLOW A NEW EXPERIENCE OF LIGHT AND ITS SHADOWS.
THIS PROJECT STARTED OUT BY EXPLORING AND ANALYZING THE SITE AND UNDERSTANDING ITS QUALITIES TO FIND THE BEST PATH POSSIBLE CONCERNING THE CABIN PLACEMENT. THIS PART OF THE PROJECT ALLOWED US TO USE ALL OF OUR SENSES AND OBSERVATION SKILLS TO UNDERSTAND THE SITE. IN DOING THIS, OUR OBSERVATIONS WOULD HELP US UNDERSTAND WHEN CHOOSING THE PLOT OF LAND AND UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF THE NATURE THAT SURROUNDS THE PLOT.
MY CABIN PLOT ON CLASS PATH
AFTER UNDERSTANDING THE SITE AND CHOOSING AN AVAILABLE PLOT, THE TASK WAS TO DESIGN THE CABIN WITH CONSIDERATION OF THE VALUES OF THE PLOT WHICH WAS MY MAIN FOCUS. MY ATTENTION WAS FOCUSED ON NATURE AND ESPECIALLY HOW THE SUN IMPACTS THE EXEPERIENCE OF EACH PERSON. THE WINDOW PLACEMENT, ORIENTATION OF THE CABIN ON THE SITE, AND THE STRCUTRE ALONE WAS INFLUENCED BY THE SUN’S DAILY PATH THROUGH THE SKY AND SOME PARTS WERE INSPIRED FROM THE RURAL HOUSE.
FINAL DIAGRAMS AND DRAWINGS
THIS SEMESTER TAUGHT ME MORE ABOUT MYSELF. THIS COURSE TAUGHT ME EVEN WHEN THINGS MAY NOT BE IDEAL YOU STILL HAVE TO WORK WITH IT AND PUSH PAST THE CHALLENGES TO ACHIEVE THE END RESULT. THIS COURSE ALLOWED ME TO SEE HOW IN A COLLABORATIVE SENSE YOU CAN NOT ALWAYS RELY ON OTHERS TO COMPLETE TASKS SO YOU HAVE TO WORK SMART AND ALLOW MORE TIME TO FINISH PROJECTS. FROM THIS, I WAS ABLE TO LEARN MUCH MORE ABOUT TIME MANAGEMENT AND FOCUSING ON WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT DONE FOR EACH PORTION OF THE PROJECT. ALSO, FROM THOROUGHLY RESEARCHING AND DEEPLY UNDERSTANDING THE ORIGINAL CASE STUDY, THIS CONNECTION HELPED ME EXTREMELY TO CARRY THROUGH MY IMPORTANT IDEA OF LIGHT TO GUIDE ME AS THE EXPERIENCE THROUGH ALL MY PROJECTS. THIS IDEA OF LIGHT IN EACH PROJECT HELPED GUIDE MY PROCESS AND FOCUSED ME IN MY ITERATIVE PROCESS TO LEAD TO MY FINAL IDEAS I WOULD PERSUE. THIS SEMESTER TAUGHT ME THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE A GOOD BALANCE OF KNOWING YOUR SKILLS AND WHEN ASKING FOR HELP AND TALKING WITH PEERS IS NEEDED. KNOWING THAT I AM NOT PERFECT AND THERE CAN ALWAYS BE IMPROVEMENTS IS KEY. TAKING THAT STEP BACK AT TIMES TO RE-EVALUATE AND FINDING OUT HOW TALKING WITH OTHERS IN THE SAME MAJOR OR WITH OTHER DESIGN MAJORS ABOUT IDEAS AND QUESTIONS CAN LEAD TO NEW IDEAS AND NEW PERSPECTIVES. THIS INTERACTION CAN SHAPE CURRENT IDEAS IS ALSO KEY STEP. I LEARNED MORE ABOUT MYSELF, WHERE I STAND IN MY SKILLS, WHAT I CAN IMPROVE UPON, MY STRENGTHS, AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO NOT BEING AFRAID TO ASK FOR ADVICE OR TO TALK THROUGH IDEAS CAN BE. THIS COURSE IS SO IMPORTANT FOR TRANSITIONING FROM DESIGN 1 TO DESIGN 2 AND TO THE FUTURE BEYOND.
JESSICA MUTCHNICK ARCH 102
PROFESSOR CAROL HERMANN
SPRING 2023